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Divide: The Relationship Crisis Between Town and Country
A ground-breaking book that uncovers the most overlooked cultural division in modern society – the rift between urban and rural communities
This book is a call to action. It warns that unless we learn to accept and respect our social, cultural and political differences as town and country people, we are never going to solve the chronic problems in our food system and environment.
As we stare down the barrel of climate change, only farmers – who manage two thirds of the UK’s landscape – working together with conservation groups can create a healthier food system and bring back nature in diverse abundance. But this fledgling progress is hindered and hamstrung by simplistic debates that still stoke conflict between conservative rural communities and the liberal green movement.
Each chapter, from Family and Politics to Animal Welfare and the Environment, explores a different aspect of the urban/rural disconnect, weaving case studies and research with Anna’s personal stories of growing up on a small, upland farm. There is a simple theme and a strong message running throughout the book – a plea to respect our differences, recognize each other’s strengths and work together to heal the land.
This book is a call to action. It warns that unless we learn to accept and respect our social, cultural and political differences as town and country people, we are never going to solve the chronic problems in our food system and environment.
As we stare down the barrel of climate change, only farmers – who manage two thirds of the UK’s landscape – working together with conservation groups can create a healthier food system and bring back nature in diverse abundance. But this fledgling progress is hindered and hamstrung by simplistic debates that still stoke conflict between conservative rural communities and the liberal green movement.
Each chapter, from Family and Politics to Animal Welfare and the Environment, explores a different aspect of the urban/rural disconnect, weaving case studies and research with Anna’s personal stories of growing up on a small, upland farm. There is a simple theme and a strong message running throughout the book – a plea to respect our differences, recognize each other’s strengths and work together to heal the land.
- GenresNonfiction
288 pages, Hardcover
First published May 10, 2022
7 people are currently reading
200 people want to read
About the author
Anna Jones
1 bookAnna Jones is a well-known journalist, broadcaster, blogger and Nuffield Farming Scholar. She is a familiar voice on BBC Radio 4’s Farming Today, On Your Farm, Costing the Earth, Food Programme and BBC World Service, and a freelance producer/director on BBC One’s Countryfile. She writes for the Guardian and farming trade press. Growing up on the Welsh Borders, from at least five generations of farmers on her father’s side and a long line of butchers and farm labourers on her mother’s, Anna’s heritage is deeply rooted in working class, conservative, rural values.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
January 4, 2023
It's probably getting a bit boring, watching me hand out yet another five star review. Sorry. I'd love to say something controversial, but I was really impressed with this book. Of the few rural books I've read so far (see my green shelf), I would say this was the most balanced, considered and comprehensive.
For what it's worth, this book did a better job of explaining BBC bias than BBC: Brainwashing Britain?: How and why the BBC controls your mind, even though it didn't set out to do that. It also provided a significantly more down to earth and practical overview of our relationship to the food we eat than Feeding Britain: Our Food Problems and How to Fix Them. Just my opinion, but I found both of those other books tediously one-sided and myopic. If only I'd found this one sooner, I might not have bothered with them.
If I was being critical (which is the point, I suppose) I'd say I gave more than the odd heavy sigh while Jones was talking about her childhood, and while she was relaying heart-warming stories of this and that individual. I'm sorry, I'm just not a people person - give me the facts and arguments any day - at least they were not in short supply.
The other thing I'd say is that I felt this book was much more aimed at explaining country people to town folk than it was to explaining town people to country folk. That could be down to my own rural bias, but a lot of the language and assumptions used in this book seemed to me to be aimed at a modern, affluent and well-educated cosmopolitan readership. I would be interested to know if any urban hipster reading this had the opposite impression.
I learned a lot from this book. More importantly, I enjoyed it.
For what it's worth, this book did a better job of explaining BBC bias than BBC: Brainwashing Britain?: How and why the BBC controls your mind, even though it didn't set out to do that. It also provided a significantly more down to earth and practical overview of our relationship to the food we eat than Feeding Britain: Our Food Problems and How to Fix Them. Just my opinion, but I found both of those other books tediously one-sided and myopic. If only I'd found this one sooner, I might not have bothered with them.
If I was being critical (which is the point, I suppose) I'd say I gave more than the odd heavy sigh while Jones was talking about her childhood, and while she was relaying heart-warming stories of this and that individual. I'm sorry, I'm just not a people person - give me the facts and arguments any day - at least they were not in short supply.
The other thing I'd say is that I felt this book was much more aimed at explaining country people to town folk than it was to explaining town people to country folk. That could be down to my own rural bias, but a lot of the language and assumptions used in this book seemed to me to be aimed at a modern, affluent and well-educated cosmopolitan readership. I would be interested to know if any urban hipster reading this had the opposite impression.
I learned a lot from this book. More importantly, I enjoyed it.
January 15, 2025
An incredible book 🥰
Anyone who eats food should read this.
Anna has managed to distil so many big topics so beautifully, personally and eloquently. I’ve both laughed out loud and had tears in my eyes.
Especially important in the current time with debates over inheritance tax, climate change and housing shortages
Anyone who eats food should read this.
Anna has managed to distil so many big topics so beautifully, personally and eloquently. I’ve both laughed out loud and had tears in my eyes.
Especially important in the current time with debates over inheritance tax, climate change and housing shortages
February 4, 2024
Prose: 5
Interesting Content: 5
Perspective Shift: 5
Political Impartiality: 4
I had a thought while reading this book…
You can sometimes tell that a book is either really bad or really good by the same reaction while reading - getting distracted into your own thoughts. Bad books are badly written or so dull that your brain would rather be thinking about something else. Good books are so engaging and interesting that it sparks off lots of inspiration and fascination.
This book book is the latter.
There are some books that come along at just the perfect time in your life.
This is one of those books.
There are some books that take you completely by surprise how much it moves you emotionally.
This is one of those books.
Summation: Adored every word, every page. The best books change your life in some way - this just might.
Interesting Content: 5
Perspective Shift: 5
Political Impartiality: 4
I had a thought while reading this book…
You can sometimes tell that a book is either really bad or really good by the same reaction while reading - getting distracted into your own thoughts. Bad books are badly written or so dull that your brain would rather be thinking about something else. Good books are so engaging and interesting that it sparks off lots of inspiration and fascination.
This book book is the latter.
There are some books that come along at just the perfect time in your life.
This is one of those books.
There are some books that take you completely by surprise how much it moves you emotionally.
This is one of those books.
Summation: Adored every word, every page. The best books change your life in some way - this just might.
January 24, 2023
It feels like this is the book that Anna Jones was born to write. It is without doubt a book that she is eminently qualified to write. It is a good read too. I have looked forward to reading this for some time and was in no way disappointed when I finally did.
I am as conscious as Anna is of the sharp Rural/Urban divide. My own journey from hill farm to housing estate was very different in many ways to Anna’s but in essentials the very same. Divide is well structured and engagingly written. There are 8 chapters: Home. Work. Politics. Diversity. Animals. Food. Community. I found the structure helpful despite some overlap here and there. For instance it appeared that veganism was discussed twice, but then vegan advocates do sometimes appear to be like noisy children demanding attention….or is this something that Anna is genuinely wresting with?!
Throughout Anna is conscious of being as even handed as possible. It clearly matters to her that there is a divide and she is at pains to see it from both sides. I did feel at times in trying to be even handed, Anna did not not give sufficient weight to the reality that the divide is an uneven one. In terms of population, prosperity and political influence the urbanites hold all the cards. To be a rural dweller is to be immediately a member of a minority. Many Urban dwellers feel as though the countryside is ’theirs’ in a way that those who live in the country never feel about towns and cities. It is ‘theirs’ for scenery, for recreation and to provide them with food. Right to roam anyone? By contrast many people who live in the country venture into the city only as a last resort!
When I went to Uni in my late 30s, I and another rural dwelling member of our student cohort were informed by our Director of Studies that we needed ‘broadening out’. As far as I was aware no such advice was given to the urban members of the group. We, on the other hand, were fairly certain that, if needs must, we could get by quite nicely in the city, but that our townie friends might struggle to make the move to a countryside environment lacking in much of what they counted on for everyday life in town.
Divide is a first-class contribution to fostering a deeper and more empathic understanding between town and country. This is a small and increasingly crowded island. Citizens of both rural and urban areas need each other. The first step to fully bridging this particular divide is to move beyond the stereotypes and get to know the realities of what it means to live in an Urban or a Rural environment. This is what Anna does so well in this book. Which ever tribe you belong to, if you are at all concerned about the town and country disconnect this is the book for you.
I am as conscious as Anna is of the sharp Rural/Urban divide. My own journey from hill farm to housing estate was very different in many ways to Anna’s but in essentials the very same. Divide is well structured and engagingly written. There are 8 chapters: Home. Work. Politics. Diversity. Animals. Food. Community. I found the structure helpful despite some overlap here and there. For instance it appeared that veganism was discussed twice, but then vegan advocates do sometimes appear to be like noisy children demanding attention….or is this something that Anna is genuinely wresting with?!
Throughout Anna is conscious of being as even handed as possible. It clearly matters to her that there is a divide and she is at pains to see it from both sides. I did feel at times in trying to be even handed, Anna did not not give sufficient weight to the reality that the divide is an uneven one. In terms of population, prosperity and political influence the urbanites hold all the cards. To be a rural dweller is to be immediately a member of a minority. Many Urban dwellers feel as though the countryside is ’theirs’ in a way that those who live in the country never feel about towns and cities. It is ‘theirs’ for scenery, for recreation and to provide them with food. Right to roam anyone? By contrast many people who live in the country venture into the city only as a last resort!
When I went to Uni in my late 30s, I and another rural dwelling member of our student cohort were informed by our Director of Studies that we needed ‘broadening out’. As far as I was aware no such advice was given to the urban members of the group. We, on the other hand, were fairly certain that, if needs must, we could get by quite nicely in the city, but that our townie friends might struggle to make the move to a countryside environment lacking in much of what they counted on for everyday life in town.
Divide is a first-class contribution to fostering a deeper and more empathic understanding between town and country. This is a small and increasingly crowded island. Citizens of both rural and urban areas need each other. The first step to fully bridging this particular divide is to move beyond the stereotypes and get to know the realities of what it means to live in an Urban or a Rural environment. This is what Anna does so well in this book. Which ever tribe you belong to, if you are at all concerned about the town and country disconnect this is the book for you.
September 18, 2023
Divide by Anna Jones is a memoir (but so much more!) exploring the many differences between town and country. Each chapter covers a theme – including politics, diversity, food and environment. Anna’s pedigree as a journalist and interviewer shines through. Whilst Anna has lived in both town and country, this book is told much more from the rural point of view. Having grown up on a farm and having visited many farms for her work, she can pick out the stories that bring each chapter to life.
Like Anna, I grew up in the countryside but then moved to urban areas, first to Reading while I was at University and then to London. Eventually, my family and the business we now run together pulled me homeward. I found comfort in being surrounded by a more rural landscape. My husband was a true city boy, with experience of living in Birmingham and London. When we moved to North Essex, I saw the countryside through his eyes but also through the lens of a town dweller. How we drive anywhere to go for a walk, compared to living in London where we walked everywhere from the front door. How I can’t go to the supermarket without bumping into someone I know, and how every tradesperson we use has some connection to my family or our local business. I found so many parallels between Anna’s journey and my own.
I admired how Anna didn’t attempt to polarise the argument and that in each chapter Anna shares a variety of viewpoints. She is very balanced.
These paragraphs particularly struck a chord with me, “The biggest lesson I learnt is the divide only exists when you see parties and belief systems and groups. When you break it down to individuals and people, it melts away, making you wonder if it exists at all…
…Town and country people live and think differently – and that’s OK, so long as we understand why. And we can only do that by asking each other and finding out.”
Whilst the book will particularly appeal to those who have grown up in rural areas it is a book for all. It should be read by policy-makers and anyone interested in the farmers who grow their food.
Like Anna, I grew up in the countryside but then moved to urban areas, first to Reading while I was at University and then to London. Eventually, my family and the business we now run together pulled me homeward. I found comfort in being surrounded by a more rural landscape. My husband was a true city boy, with experience of living in Birmingham and London. When we moved to North Essex, I saw the countryside through his eyes but also through the lens of a town dweller. How we drive anywhere to go for a walk, compared to living in London where we walked everywhere from the front door. How I can’t go to the supermarket without bumping into someone I know, and how every tradesperson we use has some connection to my family or our local business. I found so many parallels between Anna’s journey and my own.
I admired how Anna didn’t attempt to polarise the argument and that in each chapter Anna shares a variety of viewpoints. She is very balanced.
These paragraphs particularly struck a chord with me, “The biggest lesson I learnt is the divide only exists when you see parties and belief systems and groups. When you break it down to individuals and people, it melts away, making you wonder if it exists at all…
…Town and country people live and think differently – and that’s OK, so long as we understand why. And we can only do that by asking each other and finding out.”
Whilst the book will particularly appeal to those who have grown up in rural areas it is a book for all. It should be read by policy-makers and anyone interested in the farmers who grow their food.
Read
October 22, 2023 Thank you to Anne for my invitation to the blog tour and to Kyle Books for my copy of the book in return for a fair and honest review.
I am like Anna a countryside girl born and bred, I moved to a city for 2 years before heading back home and I have stayed there so far…….
Just returning from a weeks holiday in rural Powys and working in agriculture now after a career change at fifty, this book was not only insightful and informative but it really resonated with me.
Anna was brought up on a farm in rural Wales and was one of the first to go to university in her family. She leaves her quiet home for Lancashire to study journalism, and she takes the reader on her journey to find her place called home, but also looking at the divide between worklife, politics, diversity, food, environment and community in the town and the countryside.
I think that there is an assumption that the countryside is an idyllic lifestyle but having three children in a small community with very limited public transport was incredibly isolating and one reason why I returned to work. Anna looks at the poverty and loneliness experienced by farmers and also the work ethic that they have where work is not just work, it is life. I enjoyed the interviews that Anna conducts throughout the book as they really gave in insight to the many different backgrounds and the perspectives of the people living in towns and country which are really fascinating. This is a really powerful read, and wherever you live will have something that you will relate too. Being brought up in rural Devon many things discussed like racism and a lack of diversity and equality are sadly very familiar.
A well measured and balanced look at many different outlooks and beliefs but a read that I will be recommending to others to look at the bigger picture of issues affecting us all regardless of our differences.
5 stars *****
I am like Anna a countryside girl born and bred, I moved to a city for 2 years before heading back home and I have stayed there so far…….
Just returning from a weeks holiday in rural Powys and working in agriculture now after a career change at fifty, this book was not only insightful and informative but it really resonated with me.
Anna was brought up on a farm in rural Wales and was one of the first to go to university in her family. She leaves her quiet home for Lancashire to study journalism, and she takes the reader on her journey to find her place called home, but also looking at the divide between worklife, politics, diversity, food, environment and community in the town and the countryside.
I think that there is an assumption that the countryside is an idyllic lifestyle but having three children in a small community with very limited public transport was incredibly isolating and one reason why I returned to work. Anna looks at the poverty and loneliness experienced by farmers and also the work ethic that they have where work is not just work, it is life. I enjoyed the interviews that Anna conducts throughout the book as they really gave in insight to the many different backgrounds and the perspectives of the people living in towns and country which are really fascinating. This is a really powerful read, and wherever you live will have something that you will relate too. Being brought up in rural Devon many things discussed like racism and a lack of diversity and equality are sadly very familiar.
A well measured and balanced look at many different outlooks and beliefs but a read that I will be recommending to others to look at the bigger picture of issues affecting us all regardless of our differences.
5 stars *****
June 20, 2022
'Divide' is an engaging read that mixes memoir with interviews with a wide range of people from agriculture. Jones comes from a farming family, and she writes movingly of her Welsh farming heritage and the (often tested) bonds between her family and the land they have variously owned, lost, and regained.
The conversations in this book are ones gathered over a number of years. There's even a viewpoint or two thrown in from the USA (although I wish Jones had clearly challenged - at least in the narrative to the reader - the belief expressed by one farmer that his farming was having no impact on the environment because he uses less artificial fertiliser than farmers used to).
Throughout 'Divide', a motif repeats: "Farming is part of me, so to criticise farming is to shake my very being". This is a notion I guess I was semi-aware of before, but this book has truly spelled it out for me, and has helped me to better understand the often bitter debates currently going on between conservationists, farmers, and others in the UK.
Recommended for anyone with an interest in the future management of the UK countryside!
(With thanks to Octopus Publishing and NetGalley for this ebook in exchange for an honest review)
The conversations in this book are ones gathered over a number of years. There's even a viewpoint or two thrown in from the USA (although I wish Jones had clearly challenged - at least in the narrative to the reader - the belief expressed by one farmer that his farming was having no impact on the environment because he uses less artificial fertiliser than farmers used to).
Throughout 'Divide', a motif repeats: "Farming is part of me, so to criticise farming is to shake my very being". This is a notion I guess I was semi-aware of before, but this book has truly spelled it out for me, and has helped me to better understand the often bitter debates currently going on between conservationists, farmers, and others in the UK.
Recommended for anyone with an interest in the future management of the UK countryside!
(With thanks to Octopus Publishing and NetGalley for this ebook in exchange for an honest review)
November 10, 2022
I was really looking forward to reading this as I, growing up in a rural Australia, was looking to try and reconcile the differences between my hometown’s views with my new views.
The start was slow, I was in a bit of a reading slump admittedly, but the romantic family history of the author’s farming history was hard to engage with. Then those chapters were followed by a far too forgiving sentiment of well it’s not farmer’s fault that they sometimes make racist comments, they’re just not used to difference.
However things started to pick up from there, where there were some really well researched chapters on farming regarding animal welfare, food and the environment. This book has cemented my thoughts on farming communities being a minority, that they’re a voice unheard and that city folk just don’t appreciate/consider the people who are feeding them.
The book didn’t necessarily offer any solutions or how to deal with the differences and I really think this book can only resonate with people who have grown up in a farming community. Whereas, perhaps this could have more of an impact if it was aimed at city folk who have no clue of the rural struggles. Despite my criticisms, I’m still glad I read it.
The start was slow, I was in a bit of a reading slump admittedly, but the romantic family history of the author’s farming history was hard to engage with. Then those chapters were followed by a far too forgiving sentiment of well it’s not farmer’s fault that they sometimes make racist comments, they’re just not used to difference.
However things started to pick up from there, where there were some really well researched chapters on farming regarding animal welfare, food and the environment. This book has cemented my thoughts on farming communities being a minority, that they’re a voice unheard and that city folk just don’t appreciate/consider the people who are feeding them.
The book didn’t necessarily offer any solutions or how to deal with the differences and I really think this book can only resonate with people who have grown up in a farming community. Whereas, perhaps this could have more of an impact if it was aimed at city folk who have no clue of the rural struggles. Despite my criticisms, I’m still glad I read it.
August 11, 2024
I listened to the audio version but that's not listed here.
Apart from the stereotypical BBC TV presenter delivery of the audio which grated slightly, the content of the book was interesting.
As a townie who moved from London suburbia to the rural idyll of the Welsh Borders (although in Herefordshire not Shropshire that is the author's home ground) I identified with a lot of the issues and grounds for difference between town and country.
I felt the author's dilemma when deciding whether oatgurt or yogurt would be the best for the environment, facing a similar crisis myself one day about whether or not to go for unpacked raw beetroot that came from Spain or shrink packed, pre-prepared beetroot that came from the UK (I went for the raw).
I appreciated the irony of the farmer facing hard times who could only afford to buy a £3 'supermarket' chicken and the openness of the lady she interviewed about hunting.
She covers politics, meat farming, community and other topics in a balanced and fair way from urban and rural perspectives and comes to the conclusion in all cases that the differences need to be recognised and respected and that it is only by collaborating and not playing the polarising blame game that any good for the benefit of all be achieved.
Apart from the stereotypical BBC TV presenter delivery of the audio which grated slightly, the content of the book was interesting.
As a townie who moved from London suburbia to the rural idyll of the Welsh Borders (although in Herefordshire not Shropshire that is the author's home ground) I identified with a lot of the issues and grounds for difference between town and country.
I felt the author's dilemma when deciding whether oatgurt or yogurt would be the best for the environment, facing a similar crisis myself one day about whether or not to go for unpacked raw beetroot that came from Spain or shrink packed, pre-prepared beetroot that came from the UK (I went for the raw).
I appreciated the irony of the farmer facing hard times who could only afford to buy a £3 'supermarket' chicken and the openness of the lady she interviewed about hunting.
She covers politics, meat farming, community and other topics in a balanced and fair way from urban and rural perspectives and comes to the conclusion in all cases that the differences need to be recognised and respected and that it is only by collaborating and not playing the polarising blame game that any good for the benefit of all be achieved.
September 23, 2023
Talk about a book that gets you both thinking and talking! My husband and I are both firm lovers of green, rural space. We believe in preserving and saving the outdoors, so it can be enjoyed by generations to come. This book looks at the divide between the rural and the city, the climate crisis and the problems with food waste and scarcity all combined together, by showing that those ok both sides of the divide, of green and city, need to find a way to compromise, to agree that the future is the most important thing.
Like so many talk about, this book points out the reasons behind covid,
Brexit and so many other divides causing issues between us that need to be shelved for the greater good. I found this book very enjoyable. It was a brilliant read to really see the depths of the discussion and how far we need to come to make things work. It was brilliant and very well written.
Like so many talk about, this book points out the reasons behind covid,
Brexit and so many other divides causing issues between us that need to be shelved for the greater good. I found this book very enjoyable. It was a brilliant read to really see the depths of the discussion and how far we need to come to make things work. It was brilliant and very well written.
April 10, 2022
An analysis of some of what is wrong with the countryside examined from the increasingly divisive perspectives of "town" and "country". The author grew up on a Welsh farm but moved to the city for a career in journalism, so has a sense of not fitting perfectly into either community, but at the same time, has an understanding of both. She is not trying to stereotype everyone into one of two groups, but she does a good job of drawing out some of the general differences, and why they exist. She is also looking for solutions - to make farming a less exploitative process (both for the farmers and the land), to deliver more diversity and higher quality food, to maintain the rural way of life and to break down some of the strongly-held views on both sides about the other.
December 22, 2022
Anna Jones has knowledge of both rural & city life. In this book she explains the divide between the two and is looking for solutions in order to break down the barriers & educate both in order to work together better.
She draws on her experience of growing up in rural farming community and contrasts it to her years spent in the city as a journalist.
A very thought provoking read.
My thanks go to the publisher, author and Netgalley who provided this arc in return for a honest review.
She draws on her experience of growing up in rural farming community and contrasts it to her years spent in the city as a journalist.
A very thought provoking read.
My thanks go to the publisher, author and Netgalley who provided this arc in return for a honest review.
May 24, 2022
Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Half of the fucking book is just an autobiography about how fucking magical everything is. The rest is just "the countryside needs to be less white and conservative but sort-of-not-really because my family are white conservative farmers but still...".
Shite.
Shite.
December 15, 2023
100% recommend this book.
Really interesting , and thought provoking.
Discussing the divide between rural and urban living, there are some really interesting discussions on climate change, food production and animal welfare, among others.
I throughly enjoyed the read and have recommended to many others.
Really interesting , and thought provoking.
Discussing the divide between rural and urban living, there are some really interesting discussions on climate change, food production and animal welfare, among others.
I throughly enjoyed the read and have recommended to many others.
May 26, 2022
I love this book.
February 7, 2024
*Audiobook*
Easy listening and narration. Anna opens up discussions that we probably all know and relate to but don't usually give much thought to.
Easy listening and narration. Anna opens up discussions that we probably all know and relate to but don't usually give much thought to.
February 3, 2025
A very interesting read!
July 22, 2022
Archbishop Desmond Tutu said “Differences are not intended to separate, to alienate. We are different precisely in order to realise our need for one another”. This is a MUST READ book for anyone interested in society, tolerance and cooperation. Through her intimate knowledge of rural life and experience of living in the city Anna eloquently takes us through the alienation between town and country and brilliantly highlights the need for better understanding and collaboration. She is an expert listener and beautifully distils the emotions of both rural and urban inhabitants to get to the nub of the issue. There was so much to agree with throughout this book and it serves as a call to action to all of us who want to see more appreciation, tolerance and compassion in societies throughout our world.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews